


Alaskan Blues

by Optronix



Category: Transformers Generation One
Genre: Alaska, Avalanche, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Learn How To Play Tic-Tac-Toe, Recon Mission, Snowball Fight, Snowed In, too much snow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-30
Updated: 2017-03-30
Packaged: 2018-10-13 00:19:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10502520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Optronix/pseuds/Optronix
Summary: Jazz leads a recon mission to the Alaskan Outback to plant a device Wheeljack made. To their surprise, a stowaway is found in a crate of supplies when they start unloading. A mistake made by the stowaway causes an avalanche and the string of misadventures that follows.





	

Day eight of the twelve day mission was as uneventful as the last seven days. Northern Alaska was surprisingly chilly for mid-May. The temperature was hanging just above freezing. The handful of Autobots didn’t love the cool weather, but it was better than it being in the Arctic, so no one was complaining. Jazz was leading the covert-ops mission. He had hand-picked Hound, Mirage, Blaster, Sideswipe, and Sunstreaker to come along. The first two for recon, the last two for attack power, Blaster for communications. Optimus had wanted a medic to go along because there wouldn’t be a way for them to be quickly reached if something happened. Ratchet had point-blank refused. His defense was “too old to freeze off the rest of my armor.” With First Aid away on another mission, that left Optronix to make the journey. She half-heartedly protested, but they went unnoticed by Prowl and Prime as they made arrangements. The goal of the mission was to successful install a device of Wheeljack’s and stop an attack the Cons were theoretically going to launch on said device. 

The morning of the second day had been the most shocking. They had found Silverflare stowed away in the box that held the device the team was supposed to install that day. Hound had yelled in surprise when he’d opened the lid to find Silverflare lying there, a smug smirk on her face.

“Didn’t think you were so jumpy, Hound,” she chided as she got up and out of the crate. Sideswipe was thrilled to see her, running over and giving her a hug as he spun her around. She laughed as he did. Optronix was quite happy too. Jazz was too laid back and easy going to care whether Silverflare was there or not. He thought the whole thing was hilarious.

Sunstreaker was the first to notice that Optronix was not doing well with the cold. She stayed inside their shelter unless she was needed elsewhere. She trembled more and more as the days went by. Sunstreaker also saw that she was refueling far more than usual, which coming from a femme who usually forgot to refuel for days at a time, was not a good sign.

“Nix, you okay?” Sunstreaker was in the doorway of the small mobile Medbay facility, watching her servos shake. She turned and smiled a little too much.

“Just fine. Why do you ask?” He walked over to her. They hadn’t been together for very long, just a few short Earth months.

“You’re shaking like you’ve got an earthquake inside you.” Her cheeks reddened just a bit. Sunstreaker noticed she was trying to force herself to not shake; she wasn’t successful. 

“I’m just fine.” Sunstreaker rolled his optics, sighing.

“Please don’t lie. It’s obvious you’re cold. It’s impossible for you to not be cold. We’re all freezing our spoilers off. Now just how cold are you?” She looked down at his peds, her shoulders falling a bit.

“I feel like I’m turning into a Popsicle from the inside out,” she mumbled. The first thought that came to mind was to interface with her because that certainly get her core temperature up and her engine running. He quickly quelled that thought as he could hardly work up the courage to kiss her most days because he was still so uncertain of their relationship. He was still waiting for her to walk away. He didn’t understand why she was succumbing to the cold so quickly. Silverflare wasn’t that much bigger than her and she was currently out in the snow having a fight with Sideswipe and the others. 

“Do you usually get cold this easily?” he asked gently. She hugged herself, smiling just a little.

“Yes. I’ve got a bit of a medical problem. I don’t really do well in cold. I like the desert better where it’s nice and hot,” she explained. Sunstreaker frowned.

“Then why did Ratchet send you out here?”

“It was supposed to be warmer, low sixties, but this cold front moved in night before we got here.” She shrugged. “It’s not so bad… No, actually it’s cold. It’s fraggin’ colder than northern Iacon in the off cycles.” She shivered again, servos still trembling as she tucked them up against her sides. Sunstreaker’s optics brighten as he laughed, an easy smile rolling over his lips. 

“What’s so funny?”

“You are,” he said gently, taking her servos into his own. “I didn’t think it was possible for you to swear.” She rolled her optics, but she was smiling bashfully.

“I swear. I usually reserve it for Wheeljack as he usually ropes me into being his ‘assistant’ for his experiments. He deserves it most days. Personally, I l-like the human swears better. M-more creative…” Her thought trailed off as she turned away, taking inventory of their supplies for the evening report to Prowl. He shook his helm, still smiling that small smile of his.

“You like those humans too much,” he said quietly. He could tell just by how her shoulders picked up that she was smiling. Carefully, Sunstreaker wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on top of her helm. He could feel her relax as he did this, leaning back into his touch. That make Sunstreaker’s spark happy, that she was so comfortable with him like this. He felt her shivering subside a bit as he held her close. She continued to take inventory, Sunstreaker coiled around her. 

Meanwhile outside, Sideswipe was kicking Silverflare’s aft in their snowball fight. She had Mirage on her side and Blaster, but it was hard to keep up with Sideswipe and Jazz. Plus Hound was playing dirty by using his holographic projector to make it seem like more snowballs were playing at them than there really were. Mirage wasn’t playing by the rules either, however. He was his abilities to turn himself invisible and sneaking behind enemy lines and dumping snow into their gears. Sideswipe raged in protest, quickly turning around and flinging himself into a snow bank in an effort to catch Mirage. He failed. 

When Mirage got back to his own side, Silverflare offered him a high-five which he accepted. 

“We can destroy them!” Silverflare shouted with a new fury coursing through her. She pulled out a small container with a horn on it and a megaphone that Wheeljack has created (which she had stolen), ducking down below their small snow wall, grinning wickedly. 

“Mirage, Blaster, shut off your audios.” They both threw her suspicious looks before seeing what she was holding and nodded. She switch off her own and connected the two before springing up and blasting the air horn. The sound was amplified twenty-five times what it normal was. 

Sideswipe, Jazz, and Hound all keeled right over, clutching their audios. Several yells came from the small medical facility. Silverflare let go of the latch and the blasting noise stopped. She was grinning as Blast, Mirage, and herself all took advantage of their enemies weakened state and doused them in snow.

“Victory!” Blaster shouted. Mirage looked quite pleased with himself. Silverflare looked downright gleeful as her sly tricks. 

A rumbling sounded from above them. The six of them turned and saw the snowy mountainside of the small mountain they were camped under falling quick and fast in an avalanche. 

“Scatter!” Sideswipe shouted. The six of them transformed and booked it.

Unfortunately, they forgot to tell Sunstreaker and Optronix.

CRASH! Snow hit the medical facility, but thankfully it was extremely strong and didn’t budge as the snow whirled passed them. Optronix’s optics brighten with terror. 

“What is happening?!” Sunstreaker couldn’t hear her, the tidal wave of snow washing over them was too loud. The whole place was leaning heavily as the snow pushed the metal building, trying to rip it away. Optronix hugged Sunstreaker tightly, burying her face in his chest. He clung to her, optics wide as he watched the whole building heave. Around them, medical equipment it the floor with each passing moment. Cabinets were forced open, spilling their contents everywhere. You couldn’t hear any of this though, as the snow barreling passed them was louder still.

Just as suddenly as it had begun, it ended. Silence filled the little room. A few instruments clattered to the floor as everything settled. The building was slanted at roughly a thirty degree angle, the door cracked in such a way that it wouldn’t be able to open. Then the power went out. Sunstreaker and Optronix were plunged into darkness. He heard her swear under her breath and he knew why. No power meant no heat.

 

Above them, Jazz was brushing snow off his legs. 

“E’erybody okay?” Jazz called as he stood up, careful not to sink into the snow. Mirage and Hound clawed their way out of their hiding spot in a shallow cave. Sideswipe helped detangle Silverflare from a tree she’d been thrown into from the force of the raging snow when it’d hit the ground. Jazz jumped back when he felt the snow beneath him tremble. Blaster rose, spitting a mouthful of snow out. 

“Blaster, mah main man,” Jazz said a little surprised as he pulled him up. They all moved together, shivering just a little.

“Since no one else seems bold enough to say it,” Mirage started, “way to go, Flare.” Silverflare’s wings arched up with fury, making a high V. She was about to start chewing Mirage out when Sideswipe started spinning around frantically. 

“What’s gotten into you?” Hound asked curiously.

“Where’s Sunny?!” Silverflare blinked, looking around too.

“Where’s Nix?!” The six of them looked at each other. Slowly, very slowly, they all looked down beneath their feet.

“Aww shit,” Blaster muttered.

“Frag,” growled Jazz. “Blaster, we’re gonna need to call HQ. We’re gonna need backup.” Hound and Blaster went off in search of a signal to contact Autobot Base. The rest started digging. They had no idea how deep the snow was or even if they were remotely close to where the little medical facility was. They just dug.

 

Beneath the deep snow, Sunstreaker and Optronix lay trapped with no way out. Their optics adjusted to the darkness. Sunstreaker switched on his headlights so they could see where the ruined medical instruments were. Optronix quickly set to getting them out of the way. She didn’t put them away per se, she just got them off the floor and into drawers so they didn’t step on anything. Sunny helped her. They were both quiet as they worked. In the shadows, Sunstreaker could see her shivering. 

“From what I’ve read online, humans have home built out of ice and snow and live in them,” Sunstreaker informed her. Optronix stuck the last few things from the floor into a random drawer, slowly turning to face him. 

“Sunny, I love humans – don’t get me wrong – but I really don’t want to hear about how they live in the cold,” she quipped shortly. Sunstreaker sighed.

“Lemme rephrase: snow naturally holds in heat, so the heat that’s already in here isn’t going anywhere. So you won’t get any colder than you already are.” Even in the limited light, Sunstreaker could see this did not impress her. 

“Sunny, unless you’re going to talk about warm, white sandy beaches in Mexico, don’t talk about the temperature. It’s fucking cold and there isn’t anything that’s going to make it go away. And, unlike the humans, shivering doesn’t make us warmer,” she finished rather bitterly. Sunstreaker went looking in cupboards and drawers, hoping that Ratchet had been sensible enough to stock what he was looking for. After what felt like several fruitless minutes of searching, he found it. He walked back over to her and draped the thermal blanket around her shoulders. He was surprised she hadn’t thought of this sooner, but he certainly wasn’t going to tell her that. 

“Thank you,” she whispered, pulling the blanket tightly against her frame. Sunstreaker picked her up and laid down on the medical berth, holding her close. She was on top of him, helm resting against his chest. He was hoping that the heat of his engine would pass into her, helping Optronix warm up. It was still occurring to him which way would warm them both up, but he’d never dare suggest it.

“So why are you a freeze baby anyway?” He felt her halfheartedly hit his chest with her servo. He chuckled, nuzzling her helm gently.

“It’s a medical issue. My core temperature is way higher than most Cybertronians, so in a way my armor is stronger because it’s virtually high resistant. On the downside, I don’t do well in cold environments or with cold things. My armor starts fracturing when it gets too cold which also makes it weaker. It kinda sucks. If I think about it, I can channel my heat to certain parts of my frame so I can melt through things or melt them together. There’s almost nothing I can’t melt through.” Sunstreaker was surprised, but also intrigued. 

“So basically, that makes you hot, really hot,” he said with a bit of a smirk. His headlights were off now, but he was certain she was blushing; he realized that she was the only bot he’d ever met that could blush like the humans. “Can you blush like that because of this hot thing you’ve got going on?” She giggled. He was fully taking advantage of the human slang for ‘hot.’ On Cybertron, ‘hot’ referred solely to actual temperature or something admitting heat, but on Earth, it also could be about the attractiveness of a female. 

“Yeah, that’s why,” she replied, trying to hold back her giggles. He could feel his internal temperature go up a few degrees. It occurred to him that this was the first time they’d been alone like this. It was literally just him and her. It could easily be days before they were found. With Optronix laying pressed against him, he could feel everything she did. When she shifted against him, he could feel her frame gently glide across his. This certainly revved up his engine.

“Hey Nix, umm, how would you feel about…? Ya know…” Sunstreaker mumbled, his words trailing off to nothing. He saw her optics brighten and she sat up a little more, propping herself up on his chest. 

“How would I feel about what? Getting frisky?” In the dim glow of their optics, he could see her smile. Sunstreaker held back the squirm he wanted to unleash. Before he could reply, she snaked closer. Her face was mere inches away from his, her legs draped on either side of his waist. Her optics darkened a little, a servo trailing up his chassis. A small shiver ran up his spinal strut, but it wasn’t from the cold. His cooling fans would kick on if his core temperature got any higher. 

“I wanna hear you say it,” Optronix whispered, her voice low and sultry. Sunstreaker couldn’t stop his engine from revving. Never had she talked to him like that. She trailed her servo up and down his side. He could see the smirk on her face. She was enjoying riling him up like this. He wasn’t going to play along that easily.

“Say what?” She rolled her optics, her servo dipping into the gap in his hip. He suppressed the tremor as her digits delved into the gap, brushing against sensors and tweaking wires there.   
“If you don’t wanna play, I’ll leave and go cuddle myself in the corner.” Sunstreaker certainly didn’t want that. He wasn’t sure what compelled him to be so okay with where this was going. Perhaps it had something to do with there being no one to interrupt them, that they were truly alone. In a low voice, he answered,  
“Are you feeling…frisky? Whatever that means.” She giggled, servos resuming their trail up and down his sides.

“Yes I am. Also, you should Google that,” she whispered back. Before he could ask what she was talking about, she kissed him. Sunstreaker had never been kissed like this, never felt like this as he was being kissed. It felt as though his internals were on fire, his spark hammering in its chamber. It was like they were glued together and they could never be broken. His servos latched around her neck, not wanting her to be able to get away. 

 

“Shit.”

“What was that?”

“Fuck.”

“Still can’t hear you.”

“Shit!”

“You have to speak up!”

“I said ‘shit, fuck, shit’ you deaf slut!” Silverflare shouted as she tried to climb out of the hole she had dug herself. Jazz was chuckling as Hound physically recoiled from Silverflare’s insults. Sideswipe was managing to keep his laughter inaudible, so Silverflare wouldn’t kill him when she eventually got out of the hole. Mirage looked outraged as he has a soft spot for Hound, but before he could spew his own insults at her, Blaster broke in.

“Need ah hand, pretty lady?” He had knelt down and was offering her his servo. She gratefully took it and he pulled her up. 

“When’s that back-up getting here?” Hound quickly asked as Silverflare shot him a murderous look. Jazz shrugged.

“Weather’s bad down below. O.P. put Grapple an’ Hoist in Skyfire along with ah few others, but nasty weather in Montana an’ Washington grounded them,” Jazz informed them. “They’re bringin’ equipment that we can use ta locate Nix and Sunshine.” 

“How long can they last down there?” Silverflare asked. She was worried about Optronix, and just a tiny bit worried about Sunstreaker. 

“I’d be more worried about us,” Mirage piped up. “They’re in a warm, enclosed environment and likely have some Energon in there with them. We’re without shelter and fuel.”

“But what if the facility got ripped to shreds?!” Sideswipe demanded. There was a wild, panicked look in his optics. “What if we can’t find them in time?!”

“Sideswipe, if you’re stubborn, pissy brother was dead, you’d know. We’d know because you’d be dead already,” Blaster reminded the red front-liner. This thought relaxed him.

“Oh yeah.” A few of them snickered. 

“Besides, can’t you just talk to him over your bond?” Mirage asked. Sideswipe slapped himself in the face.

“Of course I can!” The five of them watched Sideswipe intently as he inquired internally. After several minutes of frustrated silence,

“Well? Are they okay?” Silverflare demanded. Sideswipe growled quietly.

“He won’t answer me! He’s gone and blocked the bond!”

“Sounds like him,” Mirage muttered. Blaster snickered at that.

“C’mon e’erybody. It’s gettin’ dark. We’re gonna need ah shelter if we’re gonna make it through this night,” Jazz ordered. Together the six of them started packing together a large igloo. It was dull work and they all were shivering as the temperatures dropped and the sun set. Just as the sun dipped below the skyline, they all crawled into their temporary home. Mirage and Hound cozied up together in one part of the shelter while Blaster and Jazz started playing Hax on a travel-size board that Jazz apparently just carried with him. Sideswipe settled himself down on the side farthest from Mirage and Hound. Silverflare soon joined him, settling down next to him. 

“So, whatcha wanna do?” Sideswipe shrugged at her question.

“Tic-Tac-Toe?” By the bewildered look on her face, Sideswipe assumed she had no idea what he was talking about. Sideswipe offered her a smile and drew two vertical lines in the snow. On top of that, he drew two horizontal lines. “Alright, so the gist of the game is to get three in a row.” Sideswipe sat up and crossed his legs so the lines were between him and Silverflare. 

“So, one of us is X’s and the other one is O’s,” Sideswipe told her.

“X’s,” Silverflare called. Sideswipe pouted just a little.

“All right, so there are nine squares. We each take turns claiming a square. The goal is to get three in a row before your opponent does. You want to stop them from getting three in a row as you try to get three in a row, okay? And if no one wins, it’s called ‘Cat’s Cradle’ ‘cause we tied. Please don’t ask me why. Humans are weird.” Silverflare smiled at that. “Alright, X’s go first.”

Silverflare drew an X in the snow, in the right side, in the middle. Sideswipe picked the upper hand corner. Silverflare looked up at Sideswipe, trying to size him up. She decided to go in the corner opposite of Sideswipe. Her wings fluttered excitedly. It was such a simple game and she was going to win in a matter of seconds! …Accept she wasn’t. Sideswipe blocked her path to victory with an O and a smirk. Angrily, she drew an X right in the middle of the nine square grid. She’d blocked him from victory and set herself up to win. Sideswipe’s smirk only grew as he placed his O in the last remaining corner. Silverflare was about to fill in the bottom square with an X to stop him when she gasped aloud.

“How did you do that?!” With three of the four corners occupied by Sideswipe, no matter where Silverflare went, Sideswipe would win. Without preamble, Sideswipe made an O in the middle square left of the middle and drew a line through his three O’s.  
“I believe that’s game,” he stated smugly.

“How the frag did you do that?!” she demanded.

“Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies~” Sideswipe answered cheekily. Her wings quivered a little in fury. She wiped her servo through the snow several times, erasing their previous game.

“Again.” 

After fourteen ties and twenty-one wins on Sideswipe’s behalf, Silverflare threw up her servos and turned away. Her wings drooped as she hunched over her knees. It took a minute for Sideswipe to realize she was pouting; it then occurred to him that perhaps he should have let her win a few times…

“You want me to show you how I did it?” he asked quietly. He could see her helm bobbing and she spun back around. “Here’s how you win.” He redrew the Tic-Tac-Toe square between them. He marked an X in one of the corners.

“If you go first, always take a corner. It doesn’t matter which one it is. If your opponent picks the middle or a middle square, you’re in the clear.” He then drew an O in the middle to demonstrate. “Wherever you picked, mark up the corner that’s kitty-corner to it, like so,” he told her as he drew an X where he told her to. “Now no matter where they go, you win, because you pick one of the other two corners and they can’t stop you on both sides, so you win. And if they frag up your strategy, then you just go for a tie.” Her visor flashed as she took in what he was saying, finishing out the game for him, crossing the X’s. 

“It’s that simple?!” Sideswipe nodded.

“Yup! So simply, even an idiot can understand it.” 

 

Sunstreaker had learned a lot about Optronix in the hours they were stuck together. The first of those things was that she had what the humans call a ‘tattoo.’ He had never noticed before that at the base of her spinal strut was a small engraving on her protoform. After closer investigation, he realized that it was a very intricate pattern of a constellation from Cybertron, the Angel, as the humans would have called it. 

“What are you staring at?” Optronix had been crouched into a duct that held controls for the emergency lights. She was trying to turn them on. Optronix had decided that way the building had shifted that it had jammed a few things, preventing power from flowing as it should. Sunstreaker was handing her tools as she requested them, the entire time staring at her tattoo. He never would have pegged her as a femme to have one. When she asked him the question, he paused before answering.

“Well, I uh, was looking at your engraving,” he mumbled. She got up, a flashlight in one servo and a pliers in another. Her optics were shuttered against Sunstreaker’s headlights which were now glowing right in her face. He quickly switched them off so he wouldn’t blind her. He could see the ghost of her smile as his optics adjusted to the abrupt darkness.

“My tattoo?” He could hear the giggle in her voice.

“Yeah, that. It’s one of the constellations from back on Cybertron, right?” He watched her outline nod. “Why that one?” He watched her silhouette head back to the floor, switching the flashlight on and going back to tugging on wires. He learned something else about Optronix that he never, not in a million vorns, would have guessed.

“It’s from the old stories, isn’t it? Primus and his angels, the protectors of all.” Sunstreaker was goggling at her, thankful her helm was tucked into the vent and couldn’t see him.

“You believe in-in –” He nearly said something offensive, but thankfully he was smart enough to stop himself. He started again. “You believe in the old teachings, from the Temples? Back before the war and all?”

“Yeah. Before all the other shit happened in Altihex and with Shockwave, I used to go nearly every day. The Temple gave me peace and helped sooth my restless spark. Looking back, knowing what I know now, it makes sense to me – craving to be close to Primus and all, as I’m a Prime, it makes sense. I still believe in all that stuff. It’s why I have that little crystal work figure in my quarters. Ratchet kept it for me all those years.” She pulled herself out of the vent and the three emergency lights flickered on. He could see a gentle look in her optics. The soft glow played on her armor, making it dazzle and sparkle in the low light. She looked absolutely beautiful. 

“Is it okay if…well…”

“You don’t?” she finished, her voice quiet. He nodded. She gave him the purest smile he’d ever seen in his life. It warmed his spark. “Sunny, I know quite a bit about you now and I don’t care one way or the other what you believe in or don’t. I like you so, so much. Just don’t rain on my parade and we’ll be just fine.” This puzzled him. To his knowledge, Optronix didn’t have a parade nor would she have one any time soon. She interpreted his confusion correctly, her laughter bubbling up from her vocalizer.

“It’s a human expression,” she clarified. 

“Obviously.” She walked right up to him, so small in comparison, practically a minibot as Sunstreaker new she was only a couple of feet taller than Bumblebee and Cliffjumper. The top of her helm just met the center of the Autobot symbol in the middle of his chest. She certainly didn’t look it, but she could really hold her own. Him and Sideswipe had walked in on a training session Prowl was leading and she had walloped Bluestreak; she also gave Jazz a good run for his money, but in the end, he’d won the sparring match. Optronix truly was the winner of looks-can-be-deceiving. It made being with her a little easier. He was so worried that something would happen to her and he wouldn’t be there to save her, that it would be his fault. Optronix could take care of herself, he knew that, but he couldn’t help but worry. He especially worried that one day she’d be on the receiving end of his rage. Thank Primus that day hadn’t come yet.

Optronix leaned up on tiptoe and planted a chaste kiss on his lips. He couldn’t stop the small smile curving his lips as she pulled away. Sunstreaker could feel his walls falling, his heartstrings coming undone as he scooped her up so they were face-to-face. She was warm to the touch and that made him happy. Their spontaneous ‘exploration session’ – as Sunstreaker liked to think of it – had certainly gotten both of their engines going. He’d kissed her before, ran his servos down her frame, but nothing like what they’d done early. They didn’t interface as Optronix had told him when they’d started out that she wasn’t ready for that yet, but damn it was close. Sideswipe knew everything about Sunstreaker, yet when Optronix was exploring the seams and gaps in his frame, it was as if she already knew every little detail. Sunstreaker wished it was the same for him when he’d been dipping his digits into her hip seams and the small gaps in her sides. Aside from feeling so clumsy during the whole thing, she’d gotten him to overload without any stimulation to his interface array – something Sunstreaker was certain had never happened before. He’d wished he’d been able to return the favor, but he just didn’t know where to go with her yet. Someday he hoped he could. 

“Can we go see a movie when we get out of this tundra?” He tried not to look at her like she was crazy. 

“Like in the Rec Room?”

“No silly, at a theater. There’s a drive-in about an hour west of the Ark. They’re showing this ‘creature double feature.’ They’re showing this horror movie Poltergeist and then this new film called Aliens. It’s supposed to be creepy, like those videogames you and Sideswipe play.” Sunstreaker very much doubted that Optronix actually wanted to watch horror movies – human movies or not. But Sunstreaker figured this was her way of trying to tempt him into going out into the human world with her. No matter how much he disliked the humans, he wouldn’t want to snuff out that hopeful look in her optics.

“You sure you’re up for a night of scary movies?” He was half teasing, half serious. She rolled her optics. 

“Of course, I am! I’m not some scared, little turbo-fox,” she retorted. 

“I know you’re not.” He was trying and failing to hold back his smirk. “But you’re about as brave as Bluestreak when it comes to human horror films.” She pretended to be insulted, but he knew she really wasn’t because it was true. Bluestreak was prone to crying when forced to stay and watch. Optronix was known for screaming even when the scene wasn’t that scary in comparison to the other parts of the movie. Once she’d even jumped into Sunstreaker’s lap and hidden her face away from the scene. This had greatly pleased Sunstreaker as this was before they’d gotten together. He’d been smug about the whole thing to Sideswipe for weeks.

“Anyway,” she said quickly, “will you go with me?”

“Yeah, I will.” She beamed at him.

“It’s a date!” She kissed him sweetly, legs wrapping around his waist. Sunstreaker settled down on the medical berth, laying back. His internal chronometer was telling him it was nearing midnight, though it was impossible to tell. He could feel Optronix snuggling into his chest, curling up. She was a perfect fit for his boxy frame. He briefly wondered if they were meant to be, but quickly quashed the thought. Nothing was permanent, especially whatever this was. He was still waiting for her to run away at any moment, for that horrible day when she came to her senses. It had been almost seven human months since they started courting, all of which were some of the best days of Sunstreaker’s life. 

Sunstreaker pulled the thermal blanket up from the floor and draped it over Optronix before drifting off into recharge.

 

Silverflare wasn’t sure when she dozed off, but she was surprised to find that she was leaning up against Sideswipe, her helm on his shoulder when she woke up. One of his arms was loosely wrapped around her waist. It wasn’t romantic or anything in Silverflare’s mind; she found the gesture protective and she appreciated that. She gently pealed his arm away, careful not to jostle him as she got up, stretching out. Joints cracked and popped back into place. She wandered outside and gasped. The sun was just starting to rise, bright pink and gold streaks lit up the sky. The stars were fading away as the moon dipped below the horizon. She had never seen something so beautiful and instantly took a picture to show Optronix later. Silverflare knew she would absolutely love it. Silverflare sat down in the snow and simply watched the sun rise. She had to up the filter on her visor so she could start directly at it. 

She wasn’t quite sure how long she sat there, but when the other members of her party started to awaken, that’s when Skyfire touched down. The hatch lowered to reveal Grapple, Hoist, Inferno, Red Alert, and Ratchet. Upon landing, Ratchet whipped out a wrench and threw it at Silverflare. She yelped, but wasn’t quite fast enough to get out of the way. It crashed into her shoulder, sending her stumbling backwards into the snow.

“That’s for fragging up an entire mission that you weren’t even supposed to be on!” he raged. 

“If ya keep it up, ya’ll start another one, Ratch,” Jazz teased. The saboteur smoothly glided out of the way of the next flying wrench’s path. Silverflare scrambled away from Ratchet and behind Sideswipe. He was bigger than her and easily hid her from view. Only her wings stuck out, but she was quick to lower them. 

“Now Ratchet, our first priority should be to make sure everyone is okay,” Hoist told him. Ratchet whirled around on the green mech.

“Do not start blathering rescue protocols to me or you’ll be the one that’s six feet under,” Ratchet barked back. Hoist recoiled. Inferno rolled his optics.

“How about y’all take yer helms outta yer afts an’ ya’ll see we’re missin’ ah few bots,” Inferno cut in. Red Alert instantly started looking the six over, demanding to know exactly what happened and why. Blaster tried calming the mech down, but it was no use. When Red Alert got into his fast talking moods, there was no stopping him. It was like trying to out-talk Bluestreak, which was impossible. 

“Where’s Optronix and Sunstreaker?” Grapple asked, looking around.

“Didn’t ya get mah message?” Blaster quipped. “They’re snowed under, deep down in a winter wonderland right beneath our feet.” That only caused Red Alert’s optics to fritz several different shades of blue. Inferno put a servo on the red mech’s shoulder, trying to calm him in a way Blaster simply couldn’t. 

“We’re sure they’re alright,” Hound spoke up. “Sideswipe says Sunny’s good enough, anyway. Apparently he’s ignoring his twin.” A few snickers rang around the circle of mechs. Ratchet had another wrench tight in his servo, ready to throw.

“And just where is this gracious yellow Lamborghini?” Hoist asked as his eyed Ratchet out of the corner of his optic. They were all keeping a close optic on the fiery medic.

“Like we said, somewhere below,” Jazz said, repeating Blaster’s words. “That’s why we requested ya ‘cause ya’ll could find them.” Grapple and Hoist nodded. 

“Very well. Let us get to work. Inferno, we’re going to need some very hot water, and perhaps some flames.”

“Guess we shoulda brought Tracks.”

 

An almighty explosion woke Sunstreaker and Optronix from their recharge. Sunstreaker jumped up, his sensors coming online in an instant. Instinctively he tucked Optronix behind him. Her optics were bright with surprise, clinging to him. 

Suddenly Sunlight streamed in from the front of the room. Both of them had to recalibrate their optics. Outside, they could hear a cacophony of voices yelling and cursing at each other.

“For Primus’ sake! I told you not so much gasoline!”

“Didn’t ya say more gasoline?”

“Of course, I didn’t!” A familiar reedy screech could be heard on the other side of the wall. Sunstreaker looked back at Optronix, just as confused as she looked.  
“Is that…Red Alert?” She nodded slowly.

“I think so…” she replied slowly. 

“Jazz, of course I didn’t say ‘add more gasoline.’ Why the slag would I do that?!”

“If Inferno had been ready with the water or whatever that puffy stuff is, I think we would have been fine,” came Hound soft voice. A loud CLANG could be heard. The wall shook a bit as whatever it was made contact with it. Jazz’s gleeful voice could be heard as Sunstreaker imagined him prancing around.

“Ya missed, Hatchet.” Another loud CLANG was heard, followed by a cry of pain. 

“Really?! Again?! I didn’t even do anything this time!” It was Silverflare, complaining at who Sunstreaker figured was Ratchet. 

“Ease up, Ratch. You’ll make her glitch,” Sideswipe tried to reason. A loud squeak made him assume Sideswipe had just dived for cover. Sunstreaker didn’t hear a wrench hit anything this time, so he assumed it went into the snow.

“Wait! Stop fighting! We’ve found them!” Grapple’s voice cut through everyone else’s. “Hoist, pry that door open!” He heard someone slide down the snow bank and a minute later, Hoist had pried the door away. 

“Well hello there. Made it through the night I see.” Optronix squealed with delight and threw her arms around Hoist’s neck in a tight hug. He was clearly surprised by it, but nonetheless hugged her back. Sideswipe’s stupid, cheeky grin was the first thing Sunstreaker saw as he walked out into the cold and snow. The bright white stung his optics, making him cringe as his optics reset for the second time. Sideswipe offered Sunstreaker a servo and pulled him up the snow bank. The avalanche had buried the little medical facility nearly twenty feet in the snow. Sunstreaker didn’t have a problem getting up, but Optronix sure did. After a few failed attempts to climb up the side of the hole Jazz had made with his explosion, Hoist ended up having to throw her up to Jazz and Grapple. She was blushing red in embarrassment from not being able to get up on her own, but played it off well. 

“Aside from that shitty avalanche, I think this mission was a success,” Silverflare commented happily as she pulled Optronix into a tight squeeze that Optronix happily reciprocated.

“If I hear one more word out of your mouth, I am welding it shut,” Ratchet threatened. “Now get your aft into Skyfire before I decide to dismember you.” No one argued with him. Quickly and quietly, the dozen of them filed onto Skyfire and stayed quiet for the whole trip as Ratchet glowered at all of them in between fussing over Optronix.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't usually post O/C stories like this, but I really like this one. Makes me giggle.  
> Optronix belongs to me.  
> Silverflare belongs to LaverniusTucker.
> 
> ~Nix


End file.
